Page 60 of Luke

For an answer, Luke began stripping, tossing his clothes into the boat.

“Oh, I like where this is going,” Inga said.

Luke braced himself on the rocks, the texture rough under his bare feet, and turned into a bear.

“Or not,” Inga added.

But it was playful. She knew that Luke had been working hard on his shifting, as well as controlling his other abilities. And it made her happy to see how simple and easy it was for him now.

Luke used his big front paws to push the boat containing the woman and the dog away from the shore, then slid in after it. Water slopped around him.

Inga settled down, sitting in the stern while Rogue stood up in the prow. It was only a short distance around the point of land and into the cove, so as Luke began pushing the boat, she decided she might as well settle down and enjoy the ride. Even if the little craft did get away from him, it wouldn’t go too far, and she could always shift and swim ashore if she had to. The only casualties on a warm, calm day like this would be her clothes.

But the ride went smoothly. She glided into the cove propelled by that most unique of conveyances, the bear-powered boat motor.

Inga laughed. She looked up at the hill with the cabin on it. Against the clear sky above them, Cinnamon and Sugar, who had turned up their snouts at the possibility of a ride, swooped and squabbled and occasionally dived to hunt for fish in the shallow cove.

What a strange, crazy life. She wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Luke pushed the boat into the shallows, and Inga hopped out, getting her feet wet, to pull it ashore. Luke gave it a tremendous push from behind that propelled it dozens of paces up the beach, well out of reach of any ill-behaved wave trying to pull it back to a watery grave, even at high tide.

“Nice work,” Inga said, and she laughed again as Luke shook himself all over, shedding water like a big dog.

Rogue immediately followed suit, and Inga laughed harder, covering her face to keep from getting dog and bear water in her mouth.

“Come on, you guys.” She patted Luke on his furry shoulder. “I think we’ve done enough work for one day. Let’s go home.”